Asheville – On April 23, local leaders, engineers, and residents gathered for the Leadership Asheville Forum’s Critical Issues Luncheon, where the focus was on Asheville’s water system. Timed appropriately near Earth Day and following the disruptive legacy of Hurricane Helen, the panel titled “Water Is Life: The History and Future of the Asheville Water System” highlighted the city’s most significant natural asset and the growing challenges it faces.
The discussion featured three panelists: Will Jernigan of Cavanaugh Solutions, David Melton, Director of Water Resources for the City of Asheville, and Ray Cox, a water infrastructure expert with HIPP Engineering. Together, they explored the city’s unique watershed, the response to Hurricane Helen, and the long-term vision for building a resilient system in an era of climate uncertainty.
A System Built on Pristine Origins
Asheville’s drinking water primarily comes from a protected 22,000-acre watershed east of the city, a rarity in the U.S. due to its high quality and minimal industrial or agricultural contamination. “Most of the water we drink in Asheville falls from the sky,” Jernigan explained, noting that it is collected in reservoirs like North Fork and Burnett, with additional supply from Mills River to the south.
Jernigan described Asheville’s water network as vast and complex—over 1,700 miles of interconnected pipes serve more than 160,000 people in Asheville, Biltmore Forest, Black Mountain, and parts of Buncombe County. He pointed out that if laid end-to-end, the pipes would stretch to Las Vegas or Costa Rica.
He also highlighted recent investments in “virtual zones”—sensor-equipped sections of the network that monitor water flow and pressure. These data-driven zones help detect leaks and were crucial in managing the recovery after Hurricane Helen.
Helen’s Disruption and the Race to Restore Water
David Melton provided a sobering account of how Hurricane Helene impacted the system. On September 27, 2024, the city lost service to 80% of its water customers due to catastrophic washouts of key transmission lines from the North Fork plant. “We were potentially days away from a major health crisis,” Melton said, referencing water shortages that threatened both public hygiene and firefighting capacity.
Crews worked around the clock. Thanks to a previously installed 36-inch bypass line, Asheville was able to restore partial service within three weeks and full potable water within 52 days. “Had that bypass not been in place,” Melton noted, “we might still be without water.”
Key to saving the North Fork dam was an auxiliary spillway equipped with “bucket tipping” technology designed to release excess water and protect the structure. “Without it,” Melton said, “we could have lost the dam entirely—and with it, possibly Biltmore Village.”
Building Resilience for the Future
Ray Cox addressed the longer-term vision: resilience. “Ideally, we prevent service interruptions,” Cox said. “But if one occurs, we need to recover quickly.”
Cox described federally mandated risk and resilience assessments that guide emergency response planning. He explained that Asheville’s system faces financial and logistical hurdles common to many municipal utilities: aging infrastructure, climate extremes, and limited funding. “These systems are paid for by ratepayers, not taxes,” he reminded the audience. “That makes big-ticket items a real challenge.”
Several major projects are on the city’s radar:
A new pretreatment facility for North Fork and DeBruhl plants, estimated at $150–$200 million.
A second bypass line outside the floodplain to reduce vulnerability.
A potential third treatment plant in Asheville’s western zone, with early costs projected near $300 million.
Smaller, ongoing improvements are already in motion. Each year, the city replaces about 20 miles of aging water pipe, many over 100 years old. Current projects also include meter replacements and filter rehabs at key plants.
Trusting What Comes From the Tap
Despite improvements, panelists acknowledged that public perception lags behind reality. “Tap water meets or exceeds all EPA standards,” Melton emphasized. Still, many residents continue to rely on bottled or filtered water. “That’s trauma from the outage,” Jernigan said. “Trust takes time to rebuild.”
Cox pointed out that bottled water is often less regulated and significantly more expensive. “We have a pristine system and professional operators. If you’re drinking bottled water, you might be paying 1,000 times more for a product that’s actually less transparent.”
A Call to Sustain the System
All three panelists stressed the importance of continued investment. “We’re already operating in the climate future,” Cox said. “Floods, fires, extreme weather—it’s not theoretical anymore.” Without significant state or federal support, they warned that major upgrades may remain out of reach.
But if Hurricane Helen was a test, Asheville passed—thanks in part to preparation, community effort, and a commitment to learning from the past.